Chapter 124
“What did you just do to those students?”
“Don’t worry. I just sent them far away, that’s all.”
With an indifferent expression, he replied to the anxious Hero’s Haven staff and then turned away, disappearing into the crowd.
‘Why is a dragon here?’
Dragon.
The race praised as the strongest on earth.
In the past, dragons settled all over the world, but now, outside of the Dragon Kingdom called Dragonia, they were rarely seen.
‘A dragon in Lumeria City…’
He was curious for a moment but decided to lose interest.
Considering all the issues at Lumene in the past six months, it wasn’t strange for a dragon to visit to observe the situation.
Afterward, Leo continued to show Elci around Lumeria City.
Incidents like the one at Hero’s Haven happened frequently.
Dropout students often went around begging professors for just one more chance.
Some first-years watched and snickered at their former classmates, who not long ago had been their peers.
The divide between those who survived and those who didn’t had become clear.
As the sun set and he returned to the hotel, a familiar face was waiting.
“Uncle Gis.”
“Long time no see, Leo. Have you been well?”
“Yes, I’ve been well.”
Gis, the vice head of the Zerdinger family, greeted Leo with a friendly smile.
The hotel was filled with what looked like Zerdinger knights as well.
Since the Zerdinger family had rented out the entire hotel, there was no one else around.
The Zerdinger knights glanced at Leo with curiosity.
The first-year representative of Lumene, a boy who had learned Phoenix Breath—a skill only direct descendants acknowledged by the Zerdinger family could inherit.
Of course the knights couldn’t help but pay attention.
“So, what did the family decide?”
Celia asked nervously.
‘She’s more invested in this than I am.’
Leo chuckled, watching Celia show far more concern over the succession issue than he did, even though he was the one directly involved.
“In conclusion, Leo’s succession rights have been postponed.”
“Ah…”
Celia let out a disappointed sigh.
“Why?”
Gis smiled bitterly at Celia’s disgruntled face.
“The main thing is, the family still doesn’t really know what kind of person Leo is.”
“But that’s not fair! Leo is Aunt Reina’s son and more than worthy to be called a direct Zerdinger! He’s proven his strength!”
“It’s a decision made at the family council. Complaining to Uncle Gis won’t change it.”
Leo lightly tapped Celia on the forehead.
“So, postponing it means they’ll decide later?”
“Yes. After the family members meet you in person, they’ll make a decision.”
“So that means…”
“Visit Zerdinger during winter break.”
“Understood.”
Gis smiled as Leo nodded calmly.
Celia still looked unhappy but didn’t push the issue further, knowing it wouldn’t help.
“For now, don’t worry about family matters. What you should focus on is the second semester.”
“Yes.”
“It will be very different from the first semester.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
As a Lumene graduate, Gis looked at his cousins with a meaningful smile.
“From now on, this is the real Lumene Academy.”
—
During their stay in Lumeria City, Leo and Celia spent busy days preparing for the start of school.
And on the day of the opening ceremony.
Students gathered at the dock to head for Lumene.
Each grade had a different dock, so they didn’t see upperclassmen.
“Oh! It’s been a while! How was your break?”
“It was good! You look like you got a tan.”
“I stayed at the villa over break.”
The girls chatted away, sharing stories from their vacations.
“Heh, I hunted some monsters over the break.”
“When I got back, I was swamped with party invitations. At the parties, even noble girls I didn’t know acted friendly.”
“Guess where I went over break?”
The boys bragged about their summer exploits.
“Seeing this makes it really feel like school is starting again.”
Celia brushed her hair back with a smile.
“Leo! Celia!”
“Chloe!”
From a distance, Chloe approached with a bright smile.
“How was your break?”
“Good! What about you?”
“I was busy with family stuff.”
As the class president and vice president of Class 1, they were close friends.
“How about you, Leo?”
“Nothing special.”
“Nothing special? You went to the Azonia entrance ceremony!”
“The Azonia entrance ceremony?”
Chloe looked surprised.
“I’ll tell you the details later.”
Leo answered with a smile.
“Yo! Leo! Chloe! Celia!”
Carr spotted the three and came over with a grin.
Celia looked at him with amazement.
“It’s amazing. Carr actually survived into the second semester.”
“Heh. It’s all about skill, isn’t it?”
Carr stroked his chin with a mysterious expression, then snickered.
“But honestly, I’m surprised I made it this far too.”
He had worked hard during the first semester, but there was still a limit.
To be honest, it still felt unreal to be standing there.
“Anyway, Leo, the others are gathering over there. Let’s go.”
“Alright.”
Leo nodded and said to Celia and Chloe,
“See you in a bit.”
“Okay. See you.”
“Hahaha! This semester, I’ll take the top spot in class!”
Carr laughed and boasted, and Celia crossed her arms, looking unimpressed.
“No way.”
Thanks to Sedgen and Professor Harrid, Classes 1 and 5 had a strong sense of rivalry.
As Leo and Carr headed toward the group from Class 5, girls all around greeted them.
“Ah! It’s Leo!”
“Hi, Leo~”
Kyaa—kyaa— Some of the girls waved as they laughed.
Carr gave a wry smile.
“You’ve got great grades and you’re popular with the girls too?”
“I don’t really notice.”
“You came in third in the first-year boys’ popularity poll, you know?”
Carr grumbled.
“Who even did that poll?”
“Me, obviously.”
He explained that he’d done it while running his business among the first-years, polling the girls.
“It’s unofficial, but still pretty credible. Hahaha.”
“Why would you even do that?”
“I thought about making a photo book to sell.”
Leo let out a helpless laugh at Carr’s antics.
‘Still, I am curious about the rankings.’
“Who was number one?”
“Abad Lewellin.”
Handsome, always kind, with a gentle smile—naturally, Abad was popular.
And as the heir of the heroic Lewellin family.
Skill, looks, personality.
He was flawless in every aspect.
“And number two?”
“Duran.”
Carr made a sour face.
“His personality sucks, but he’s got looks, skill, and a lot of pride. Plus, he’s a prince.”
As the prince of the Knight Principality Moira, he was set to become the next king, not as the eldest, but thanks to his overwhelming talent.
“And you’re third. It was close between you and Duran.”
“That’s interesting. I never noticed.”
“No surprise. Abad and Duran get confessions and letters every week, but you never got any.”
Carr shrugged.
“Why is that?”
“…Think about the people around you.”
“My friends?”
Leo, Carr, and Chelsea were already known as inseparable at school.
Wherever Leo was, Chelsea was almost always nearby.
Then there was Nella, the vice president of Class 5 and a famous beauty.
They were always together at school events.
And Eliana, who often helped with class affairs, wasn’t lacking in looks either.
Plus, Leo was close with other class presidents like Chloe and Chen Xia.
“And especially Celia. Since it’s a secret that you two are cousins, a lot of girls think you’re dating.”
They’d been together since the entrance ceremony, so it was only natural for people to think that.
“So other girls don’t even try to approach you.”
Carr grinned slyly.
“See? Feels good to be popular, doesn’t it?”
He poked Leo in the side, but Leo could only laugh.
“If people find out you’re Celia’s cousin, you’ll shoot right up to number one.”
“Apparently, the Zerdinger family is going to make that official soon.”
“Really? I can’t wait to see everyone’s reaction.”
Carr grinned.
“There were a lot of guys who quietly looked down on you because you’re from a remote kingdom. Plenty still gossip behind your back.”
Carr was indignant that his friend was underestimated.
Leo smiled at him.
“Hey! Class rep!”
A cheerful voice called out.
Turning around, Leo saw Eliana waving.
“How have you been, Leo?”
“Welcome back, Leo.”
Tide and Nella greeted him warmly as well.
Overall, Class 5’s atmosphere was very good.
Out of ten classes, only Classes 1 and 5 hadn’t lost a single member to withdrawal.
No wonder their sense of unity was stronger than the other classes.
As they caught up and chatted about their vacations, someone spoke with a magically amplified voice.
“Everyone seems to be in good spirits. So fresh—so full of youth.”
All the first-years turned toward the voice.
It was a man with black hair.
“Who’s that? I’ve never seen him before.”
“Is he a professor?”
“No, we didn’t have any first-year professors like that.”
All the students looked at the unfamiliar man in confusion.
‘That dragon from before.’
The man spoke in a lazy tone.
“You’re all so lively and energetic. I’m just old, I guess. Sigh.”
‘Who is this guy?’
The man radiated not a hint of motivation, only grumbling, which made the first-years uneasy.
“Nice to meet you, everyone. My name is Riven. I’m the vice principal of Lumene.”
The students’ eyes widened.
Vice Principal Riven of Lumene.
He was a professor who had left the academy for the past five years.
Even fifth-years barely knew anything about him.
No wonder the first-years were surprised to see the vice principal suddenly appear.
Riven took out a student roster.
“There were 440 new students this year. As of the second semester, 346 remain.”
That meant 94 had withdrawn.
At first glance, it seemed like a lot, but considering Lumene’s standards, more had survived than in most years.
Usually, by the end of the first semester, almost 200 first-years would have been expelled.
Especially since this year, Mage of the Evil Eye Albi had overseen the western entrance exam, so there were fewer new students than other years.
Given that, 94 withdrawals was actually a small number.
“Society calls you the Golden Generation. You all know that, right?”
At that, the first-years beamed with pride.
“That’s why Principal Kalian personally asked me to supervise all of you in the second semester.”
The students began to murmur.
“But honestly, it’s a pain.”
He spoke in a languid voice.
The students looked at him in bewilderment.
“I know you’re talented. But are you really worth teaching? You’ll have to prove it.”
Riven pointed toward Lumene.
“From here, head to Lumene’s main gate.”
The students looked puzzled.
They had already experienced a Kraken attack during the entrance ceremony, so they expected the opening ceremony to be just as intense.
But to suddenly be told to head for the main gate?
“I’ll warn you—it won’t be easy.”
Riven muttered with his listless voice, curling his lips into a smile.
“Maybe none of you will even make it.”